Mechanical Aids to Farming.-1.
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A Series of Four Articles Written with the Object of Assisting the Farmer to Decide upon the Best System to Employ to Meet his Own Particular Requirements. No. I, which We Publish Now is Mainly Historical and Introductory.
By a Contributor.
Man's first step towards civilization was taken when he forsook the wild and nomadic life of the hunter and hardly less savage existence of the mere herder of semi-wild cattle, and commenced to till the soil. In the beginning his implement was a crooked stick ; his power consisted, only of his own muscular strength. With the advance of civilization and with the realization of the food-giving properties of cultivated land, he began to see that sufficient power was not available from this source, and at a very early stage began to employ animals. This need for power has existed through all the ages, and is at the root of the present almost phenomenal activity in that industry which exists to provide mechanical aid for the farmer.
Early 'History.
The early history of attempts to apply the power of steam to the world's transportation work is of
intense interest. The idea of road traction goes back to James Watt, a pioneer of steam engine invention,
who, so early as in 1759, realized the possibilities of steam in regard'th its use for vehicle propulsion. Its direct use for tilling land was not attempted, how'ever, until 1857, one of the first recorded steamploughing engines in England being built by Charles Burrell and Sons. Ltd., during that year. This machine, which we illustrate on this page, was a traction engine and drew a number of ploughs. In 1871 the Royal Agricultural Society of England held trials extending over several months, in which the adaptability of all ploughing and cultivating engines up to that time was thoroughly tested. John Fowler and Co. (Leeds), Ltd. won high honours for its cableengine sets of tackle, which were similar to the typo still being built by that company.
In the meantime the steam carriage as a factor in road transportation seems to have been lost sight of, largely because of rough roads and hostile public opinion.
• The year 1903 marks the beginning of the development of the internal-combustion tractor, and denotes one epoch in the history of agriculture. Atipresent more than 100 engineering firms are building internal_ combustion engines for ploughing purposes. There is little question that this type of prime mover has taken a permanent lead for direct ploughing over the steam engine The Horse Will be Needed for Some Time to Come.
The farmer has the reputation of being conservative to the extreme ; perhaps he has good reasons for this attitujip. He looked upon the early road engines and, carriages as interlopers, nuisances, and things to be condemned. He is in reality, however, a logical thinker: he soon dropped his prejudice; he now stands squarely for progression. He is recognizing the advantages of mechanical power. Naturally he wants to know just what mechanical ploughing will do for him on his farm, in the saving of time, labour and .expense, but when the salesman offers him a ploughing outfit and tells him it will do away with his horses, he commits an outrage upon the farmer's practical common sense, and causes misunderstanding where none need exist. Both horse and machine have a place in the scheme of things agricultural, and will continue to hold that place, The horse will not for some time be entirely replaced by machines, although his importance is already diminished, and will continue to decrease. There are operations, such as ridging carting. manure and roots, harrowing, raking and seeding, etc., for which the horse is better adapted than mechanical outfits as they exist at present. For other branches of farming, however, and particularly for the heavy classes of work, mechanical power is easily first. Furthermore, by the use of machinery the farm may be worked on lines more nearly approaching those of science.
Factors Governing Selection of Suitable Plant.
In selecting any mechanical power plant for the farm there are countless factors to be taken into consideration; its adaptability to the most pressing work must be considered, its status as an investment, its efficiency in various particulars, as well as the question of fuel supply, the cost of maintenance during work and idleness, the attendance required, the speed, effect upon the soil, the range of usefulness, the endurance and the many phases of each and every one of these essential conditions. A thousand and one variable factors may operate to move the advantage in economy from one type of mechanical plough to another. Conditions are not exactly the same on any two farms, and each farmer must deeide for himself the type of machine best adapted to his use. Ploughing cannot always be done under the best conditions. It must ordinarily extend over a considerable period, during which conditions may pass from one extreme to the other. The farmer should endeavour to do the bulk of his work at a time when the desired objects can be most effectively attained; for example, weeds or other similarly useless vegetation should be buried at a time when their growth will be most injurious. If the principal object be the revivification of exhausted soil it may profitably be ploughed during the autumn into lumps of considerable size, depending upon frost and rain to reduce the size later. It needs scarcely
tb be mentioned that turning the weeds under while they are still green will provide invaluable manure, and at the same time the weed seeds which would othexwise sprout in spring are brought near the surface; these sprout and commence their growth in the late autumn, with the_result that when frost comes they are killed, the result being a much cleaner field for the next season's crop. Thus in successful farming much depends on how soon the farmer can get his fields ploughed after harvesting. With the shortage of labour it would appear that if he is going to get his land ploughed and cultivated to the best advantage he must employ some form of mechanical ploughing tackle, which is capable of working a large acreage in a short time, ,or, alternatively of enduring extended hours of working at the same speed as horses. There are many different types, but only three systems employed in England : by cable and engines, by independent tractor, and by. self-contained motor plough. It is proposed to deal with one system in each of the following articles.